Leading by Letting Go (Part 1)

The Benefits of Delegation in Schools

The job of any school leader is never done. Your to-do list just seems to keep getting longer. The scale of the pressures and expectations never seem to diminish. Of course, one can add to it the pressure you usually place on yourself to do everything to a high standard, on time, and in a way that makes the biggest difference for your pupils.

There are no easy answers to resolving some of these tensions. However, the effective use of delegation can not only help you relieve some of the pressures that you find yourself under, it can also empower, enable, and support members of your team to develop or take their next professional step. When done well, delegation is a virtuous circle where all parties feel engaged, and trusted and have a reasonably decent work-life balance.

MAKING DELEGATION WORK
It isn’t easy. When it comes to giving someone else in your team responsibility for writing a particular scheme of work, for example, or leading a whole-school attendance initiative, there’s always that nagging doubt in the back of your mind that you could probably do the job quicker and better than the person you are thinking of delegating it to!

On the other hand, failing to delegate effectively to the members of your team can leave your staff with the feeling that they’re given insufficient responsibility or that when they are, your inability to resist the temptation to micromanage makes them feel undervalued and distrusted.

There is another challenge that needs to be carefully considered. Some leaders in schools who delegate frequently can run the risk of being perceived to have abdicated their responsibilities. They are seen as simply passing jobs on just to get them off their desk. So it’s important to make sure that when you delegate, others do not have that sense of abdication, but instead feel empowered and trusted.

In our next episode, we'll explore the delicate balance between delegation and accountability, and provide practical tips on how to delegate effectively without being perceived as abdicating your responsibilities.

Stay tuned for more insights on effective delegation in school leadership!

Love and Light

DAO